Bible Threatening Explained

Unquenchable Fire

By Gary Amirault

In this portion of Dew, we take a verse or word used by those teachers who teach
eternal torment or annihilation, and show how these verses, in fact, do not teach
this. The Bible teaches the salvation of all mankind.

In this issue, we will look at "unquenchable fire" or fire that "cannot be
quenched." We will not look at words translated "hell" such as Hades, Gehenna,
Tartarus, or Sheol. Neither will we deal with the "lake of fire." Those words
are dealt with on our tape entitled "What the hell is hell?" Our booklet The
Gates of Hell Shall not Prevail as well as other tapes also deal with these
words. We will not deal with words translated "eternal," "everlasting," or "forever."
We have many tapes dealing with those words.

Some of the scriptures that speak of an "unquenchable fire" are: Matt. 3:12,
Luke 3:17, and Mark 9:43-48. Those who believe these scriptures refer to a so-called
final judgment when the sinner gets cast into "hell" should read these scriptures
very carefully and observe the following:

In the first two references, those who are being addressed were not sinners
in the normal "Christian" sense. The words were spoken by John to the religious
leadership of his day!

In neither scripture does he even hint of eternal torment. He refers in
parabolic form to wheat being gathered with the chaff being burned. Chaff
is a part of a wheat stalk, not the whole part.

In referring to the "unquenchable fire," he is also speaking of a baptism
of the Holy Spirit and fire.

The reference in Mark refers to people using Jesus' name but not following
the disciples. Again, he is not talking about street sinners, (Romans, pagans,
etc.) but those who know and use His name.

With these thoughts in mind, let us look at these scriptures with a very open
mind. Christians who have use these scriptures to consign millions to hell may
discover this fire is one in which they themselves will have a part in. After
all, right after Jesus quoted this very favorite verse of hell-fire preachers
about the "worm that does not die, and the fire is not quenched," Jesus adds
these words that are never quoted with the above words, "For everyone will be
seasoned with fire."

One of the main problems dealing with these passages is the fact that people
see this fire as an eternal fire. The word "unquenchable" is the Greek word
"asbestos" which has also become an English word. The English word "asbestos"
means, according to Webster's Dictionary "a kind of material unaffected by fire."
This is a very different meaning than the "religious" meaning of the word and
different than the way the Greeks used the word in Jesus' day.

Let us see how the word "asbestos (unquenchable) was used by the Greeks. Strabo
calls it the lamp in the Parthenon, and Plutarch calls the sacred fire of a
temple "unquenchable," though they were extinguished long ago. Josephus, the
Jewish Priest who saw the destruction of Jerusalem says that the fire on the
altar of the temple at Jerusalem was "always unquenchable" abeston aei, yet
he was there when the fire on the altar was forever extinguished. Eusibius,
the church historian who lived in Constantine's day says that certain martyrs
of Alexandria "were burned in unquenchable fire." The fire was put out within
an hour! Homer speaks of "unquenchable laughter" asbestos gelos, (Iliad, I:
599)

Clearly, we are not dealing with fire here that is eternal and will never
go out. We have a fire which will not be quenched until it consumes that which
it is burning! It cannot be put out by an external means such as water or lack
of oxygen. When it consumes everything that it was set to consume, it will go
out due to lack of material that is burning. The force of the word should be
on the emphasis that this divine fire will not be stopped from doing what it
was sent to do. It will finish its work and will not be cut short. Whatever
it was sent to burn will be completely done in. There will be no rescue.

Jesus coupled this "unquenchable fire" with some other interesting verses.
Keep in mind, Jesus only came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He rarely
talked to pagans. His words were usually directed at people who claimed to know
the things of God. He talked about "hands, feet, and eyes that cause you to
sin." It is better to cut them off than to go to "hell" (gehenna) having both
hands, feet, and eyes. Jesus said if you have lust in your heart, you are guilty
of adultery, if you have hate in your heart, you are guilty of murder. The churches
I have been a part of were full of people from the pastor down to the lay people
who lusted, cheated, sued, cheated on taxes, cheated God according those preachers
who command the unlawful Mosaic tithe. Coveteousnes, unforgiveness, etc. were
not uncommon sins in our midst. Many Christian leaders who teach this "unquenchable
fire" as eternal punishment have been guilty at some time or another of having
a foot, hand, or eye that has caused them to sin. I ask you this. Why isn't
the church full of one-eyed, one-handed, one-footed people! Because the church
is full of hypocrites who relegate scriptures directed specifically to them
and relegate them as dealing with the world.

When one looks at "fire" scriptures in relationship to people, the Bible has
far more scriptures saying that God's own people will have to go through fire
than scriptures which refer to unbelievers going through some kind of fire.
If the church would focus on the fire that is eventually going to consume them
and not be "quenched" and stop trying to get their enemies eternally toasted,
then perhaps the church may begin to shine like gold refined in the furnace.

In summary then, it is time for us to meet THE FIRE so that we can become
ministers of fire, full of a compassionate love that will melt our enemies with
His good works which we will pour on their heads. Don't delay this meeting.
Don't wait until Jesus has to repeat the words He spoke to John and James when
they wanted fire to come down on the heads of the Samaritans who rejected the
Gospel. He said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the
Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." (Luke 9:56)
After Christian's are salted with fire, we will stop saying so many stupid things.